J'aurais Voulu Être Un Artiste
by shooting blindly
Summary: After the death of Uther Pendragon, Arthur finds himself balancing Camelot and school, and trying to sort out his feelings about tea and drawings. Modern AU, rated M for (much) later chapters. Please ignore the shitty summary and trust that the story itself is of higher caliber.
1. Le Vilain Jour

Hi! Shooting Blindly here. So this is my first fan fiction, and i dont have a beta, so please forgive any typos or mistakes or things like that. Repetition is my arch-nemesis as a writer, so forgive me if there's a little of that too. Other than that, enjoy! Please review, i like to know what you think, and the base of my writing is constructive criticism. Cover image not mine. Thank you!

Chapter One: Le Vilain Jour

"So… who's going to take care of Cam, then?" Arthur Pendragon asked. There was silence on the end of the line for a moment.

"Arthur. I just told you that your father is de – your father passed away, and the first thing you want to know is who's taking care of the company?" came the stunned reply. Arthur nodded before remembering that Leon couldn't see him.

"Yes."

"Aren't you upset?"

"Yes, Leon, I'm upset. My father is dead. Why wouldn't I be upset?" Arthur could hear the frown in Leon's voice when he answered.

"It's not really my place to say."

"Look, Leon. You've been working with my dad for how many years now? Ten, eleven?" Arthur guessed.

"Yeah, almost eleven now, actually," replied Leon.

"Ok, well then you of all people should know that even though he was a shitty dad and he never spent more time with me than he had to, he was still my dad." Arthur said firmly. "And since I love him so much, I think I should be concerned about taking care of what he loved the most: Cam. So, I ask again. Who is taking care of her?" Leon sighed.

"Mr. Pendragon's will says that he wants you to take care of Cam, so right now, she's is in your hands."

"Ok, well, I'm not going to take care of her till I finish school. That is completely out of the question." Arthur rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm. "For now, I leave here in your hands. Get my sister to help out. She was first born anyways. By all rights, she would get Cam, but my father is stuck in the middle ages." Uther always said,_ Camelot needs a king, not a queen, Arthur. She needs to be guided with a firm and gentle hand, not a loose-fingered grip. _

"Alright. I'll see if I can get in touch with her. Last I heard, she was gallivanting off to India to go on some spiritual retreat. No human contact for ten days, at least."

"If she comes out alive, let me know. Keep me updated on how Cam is doing, and if things get rough, I'll try and help out as much as I can. Bye, Leon." Arthur hung up before Leon could reply, tossing his phone to the side, not really caring where it landed. There was a sound like cracking glass, and Arthur sighed: he just cracked the screen of his iPhone.

_Whatever, _he thought. _I can get a new one._ Arthur flopped down onto one his bed and huffed out a breath. He felt strangely numb, as if he hadn't fully comprehended the weight of the situation. Maybe he would feel his father's absence more after the funeral. He hadn't bothered to ask when it was, but Leon would let him know as soon as the arrangements had been made.

He rolled over onto his side, staring at the white walls of his room.

Uther was never the best father, just as he had told Leon, and he rarely made time to see his son. Uther didn't have time for anything except Cam, his pseudo-wife. If Arthur was lucky, then he would receive a gift on his birthday, or after doing something that would make any parent proud. Other than that, the only evidence he had that Uther was his father was his bank balance.

Shaking his head, Arthur got up. He had first term exams coming up soon. He couldn't afford to get all depressed thinking about how his father treated him.

_A walk will clear my mind,_ he thought. He grabbed the nearest item of clothing he could find – a scarf – and walked out of his room, locking the door and wrapping the scarf around his neck in one fluid motion.

As it turns out, he was right. As soon as he got outside, the cold became all that he could think about, as intense as it was. His breath made little clouds of condensation that hung in the air before slowly drifting up and away.

He walked between the limestone buildings of the campus, keeping to the main road, where the ice and snow had been cleared and salted. He thanked every deity he could think of that he had been wearing a sweatshirt already, and cursing the very same deities that he couldn't have taken a hat. Still, the scarf was warm as he pulled it up to cover his nose and ears.

The snow crunched and the salt crackled under his feet. The cold slowly seeped through his clothes, aided by the wind that ripped at his exposed skin.

And through it all, he remained blissfully, gloriously numb.

When the first hail pellet his him directly on the nose, it was his cue to get inside.

Finally looking up and around him, he noticed that it was dark and he was nowhere near his dorm. He ended up somewhere downtown, in a corner that he hadn't had the chance to explore in warmer, more pleasant weather.

"Shit," he muttered. A quick scan of the area told him that most of the shops were closed, except a tiny store with dusty windows that was sandwiched between two much larger, much cleaner looking buildings.

Sighing at his luck, Arthur tugged at his scarf and headed towards the shop.

Despite outward appearances, the inside of the shop was warm and smelled sweet. All sorts of paintings hung on the wall, and the only spot that wasn't dominated by swirling colours on canvas was covered by a menu of all kinds of drinks. Much to Arthur's dismay, none of these drinks seemed to be alcoholic, which would have been perfect to keep up the numbness of the cold. No, most of them were tea, a hot soothing drink that would thaw the ice that had metastasized in his bones.

As he read over the menu, a curtain behind the counter was pushed aside by a young man.

"Gaius, I don't think anyone else will be in today, so we can just close up," he yelled. There was an affirmative grunt, and the young man nodded, pleased, and turned to face Arthur. "Oh. Hello. Uh… what are you doing here? I mean what can I help you with?"

"I don't know. I've never been here before. I only came in cause it was the only place open and its starting to hail out there," Arthur replied sullenly.

"Ok, well, sorry. It's not my fault you ended up here," replied the young man. He moved around the counter, and Arthur got a better look at him. He was in socks, having vetoes shoes despite the inclement weather. Sweatpants hung low on his hips, and he wore a black shirt that said "FREE SHRUGS" in thick white letters. A blue apron with stains all over it was tied to his waist, though it didn't cover his shirt. Eyes three shades darker than Arthur's own stared back at him, and scruffy black hair sat on his head. And the picture was completed by –

"You have the most ridiculous ears I have ever seen," said Arthur, the words slipping out before he found the will to stop them. The boy frowned.

"I'm going to ignore that comment in favor of asking you what you'd like to drink. You certainly look posh enough to be able to afford anything here," said the boy with a scoff, as if being rich was a bad thing. Arthur scowled and looked up at the menu.

"What the hell is a cruncher?" he asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Oh, you don't want that. That's only for people with digestion problems. Nasty drink, with nasty side effects for the healthy."

"Then why do you sell it?"

"Because we don't only sell to the healthy," the boy said with a look. "Not everyone is in top shape and excellent health like you, you prat. Have some consideration for the less fortunate." Arthur puffed out his chest.

"Look here, you moron. I am Arthur Pendragon, and you will treat me with all the respect I deserve. I have had a shitty day, and now I'm stuck in here with an idiot like you until the hail stops."

"In little run-down shops like this, your name means nothing _your highness, _so try and pretend you know how to deal with commoners like myself." He pointed to a drink on the menu. "This here is what you need. A nice calming tea." Before Arthur could protest, the boy was already grabbing ingredients for the tea and setting the water to boil. While the boy ground some dried herbs, Arthur sat down and pretended to be comfortable on the small, cushion-less chairs in the room. "As for the respect you deserve, unless you can prove me wrong, I am paying you exactly that much."

The kettle screamed its approval, and the boy turned off the stove and dropped the herbs in the boiled water. He grabbed a white paper cup, sat down in front of Arthur, produced a black sharpie from his apron, and proceeded to draw lines on the cup.

"So what is the famous Arthur Pendragon doing in a dump like this?" he asked mockingly, raising an eyebrow. Arthur scowled.

"Shitty day, shitty luck," he replied simply. The boy didn't reply, just continued to scribble on the cup.

A couple minutes later, he put the cup down, capped his marker, and went to go get the kettle. Arthur picked up the cup and began to examine it.

Against the thick, white paper was a forest of birch branches, drawn in exquisite detail and mesmerizing perfection. As Arthur ran his hands over the designs, he could have sworn he felt the texture of the bark underneath his fingertips, feel the chill of the snow that rested on the trees.

"Like it?" asked the boy. Arthur nodded mutely. The boy smiled. "Not one of my best, but you're acting like a prat. You don't deserve my best, yet." Arthur glared, and, accompanied by an amused grin, the boy picked the cup from Arthur's hands and filled it with a steaming, pinkish-brown liquid. "Ignore the horrendous colour. The taste is godly. But careful, it's hot."

Arthur lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip. The tasted was, indeed, godly. It was a sweet, honey flavour, and tasted like the smell of pine trees. Arthur decided to forgo to warning about the tea's temperature, and instead decided to drink it as quickly as possible.

As soon as he had finished, Arthur felt more relaxed, and some of the numbness gave way to fuzziness.

"Hey, um…" Arthur paused.

"Merlin," the boy supplied. Arthur suppressed a comment about the name and continued.

"Merlin. I'll be needing some more of that tea." Merlin grinned toothily, and turned to his herbs.

Arthur looked out the window and noticed that the hail had stopped. Merlin followed his line of sight.

"Yeah, it stopped quickly. Lucky. It seems the rest of the world bends at your will," he commented. "Even if I don't," he added with a cheeky grin. Arthur grumbled and gathered himself, placing a twenty on the table.

"Thanks very much for the tea." He walked towards the door.

"Sire!" Merlin called. "You forgot your tea." He tossed a little cloth bag at Arthur. He caught it in one hand and took a whiff. It smelled like the tea Merlin had given him earlier. He smiled and left, the tea keeping him warm the whole way home.


	2. Une Bonne Soirée

Hi! Shooting Blindly here. So this is the second chapter. I realize that its a little boring, but i need to establish certain relationships. It'll pick up soon, i promise. Thank you to my single reviewer, weepingelm, i really appreciate it! Ill try and keep it up. If anyone has any suggestions, i'd appreciate the feedback. Keep in mind that this is my first try at fanfiction, and im totally out of my comfort zone. Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Une Bonne Soirée

"Ugh." Arthur woke up feeling stiff and groggy. By the time he rolled out of bed, it was ten, and well past when he usually woke up.

He padded across the floor to the door to the kitchen, having in mind only fixing himself a cuppa. A little note sat in front of the door, and Arthur picked it up and read it.

_Good morning._

_Don't need the kitchen today._

_Have at it._

_M_

Arthur nodded to himself. Whoever it was who shared his kitchen and living room made themselves scarce. He was never home when Arthur was, and, consequentially, they had never met, even though it was already nearing the end of the first semester. But this suited Arthur just fine; as long as he and _M _stayed out of each others' way, Arthur was content to deny the existence of his flatmate.

Setting the kettle to boil, Arthur sprawled on the couch in their modest living room and promptly fell asleep.

He woke up the second time that day when the kettle whistled. He got up and turned down the heat, adding in some of the tea that Merlin had given him the night before. He let it steep for a while, and then poured some in a mug.

If the memory of the flavour of the tea had dulled at all overnight, the first sip brought it back in sharp relief. He was back in the run down shop again, dust clotting the windows, paint on canvas covering the walls, the smell of herbs hung out to dry, the paper cup with sharpied lines in smooth and dry in his hand.

One cup quickly became two, and soon he had drunk a whole kettle's worth of tea. The whole flat smelled like pine. Unfortunately, the tea hadn't woken him up, like Arthur had hoped it would, but instead left him feeling pleasantly lethargic. Arthur's plan to have a productive day of working out and studying rapidly dissolved into the desire to have his first lie-in of the year.

Time blurred for Arthur as he entered the twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness. He watched as his dreams played themselves in the middle of the living room.

When Arthur woke up properly, he was in his bed, with no memory of having gotten there. It was six o'clock; what had started out as an innocent nap had turned into an eight hour sleep.

_Is it even possible for humans to sleep that long, _wondered Arthur. He got out of bed and put on a hat and a scarf, deciding against a jacket at the last minute. There was a note tucked under his door.

_What did you do? Smells like fucking Christmas up in here._ Arthur scowled and crumpled the note, throwing it into the waste basket under his desk. He got out of the flat, locked the door, and headed out.

He tossed the ends of his scarf over his shoulders as the cold hit him full force. Yesterday, the cold had served as a numbing agent to keep him from thinking. This time, it woke him up and cleared his head. And all of the thoughts that he had kept at bay came flooding into his mind.

_Uther, _thought Arthur, walking faster. His throat closed up and his vision blurred. He wiped resolutely at his eyes. _Don't you dare cry now, Pendragon. Your tears will freeze on your face._ No matter how hard he tried, the tears kept coming back, and he had to keep wiping at them.

By the time he realized where his feet were taking him, he was in front of the dusty little shop he'd found yesterday. Merlin was wiping at the countertop, and it looked like he had found a stain that was being stubborn. An old man sat at the table only table in the room, sketching something. Arthur sat down across from him, and tried to cast subtle looks at the sketchpad. Every time he tried to see what the old man was drawing, he shifted slightly and Arthur's view was obstructed. He decided, instead, to focus on the artist rather than the art.

The man's hair was white and slightly frizzy, as if it was trying to pull itself away from the man's scalp. One of his eyebrows was drooping, and, as if to compensate for that, the other eyebrow was set high on his forehead, making him look permanently dubious. He looked frail, like a bird, but the way he carried himself belied the density of his bones.

The man looked up at Arthur, and the eyebrow climbed higher, the man's hazel eyes peering at Arthur shrewdly. Arthur shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Gaius, stop it. You're making the customer uncomfortable," Merlin called from the countertop, not bothering to look up. Arthur cast Merlin a grateful look, and Merlin looked up and gave Arthur a smile. "How was the tea?" Arthur scowled again.

"Well, it tasted amazing, but it knocked me out for the whole fucking day, now I won't be able to sleep at all." Merlin laughed, dropping the rag onto the counter, and collapsing on the chair behind him.

"When I say you need a calming tea, I don't mean that tea is calming. I mean the tea has relaxant properties. It literally calms you down. What did you do, drink a whole kettle?" asked Merlin, between gasps of laughter. Arthur flushed.

"No," he said, sulking. Merlin just laughed again.

"Liar," he grinned. Arthur huffed and turned his head to face away from Merlin. A chuckle came from the old man, Gaius.

"Can you just do your job and make me some tea?" Arthur snapped.

"Of course, your majesty," Merlin laughed. "What shall I serve you with this time?"

"I don't know. I haven't memorized your bloody menu."

"Alright, some earl grey, then."

"_No!_ No, um. Not that," Arthur said. _My father used to drink earl grey,_ is what he didn't say. Merlin didn't ask any questions, only raised an eyebrow and nodded, and Arthur felt a swell of gratitude towards this stranger. Gaius flipped his page and began a new drawing, and Merlin set to making some tea.

_Really, Arthur, this is childish. You must behave as superior as you are_. _You must be set an example for the plebeians that look up to you._ _This is unacceptable behaviour for the heir of Camelot Enterprises. _Uther had said this to him once when he was seven years old, and had thrown a fit because he hadn't been allowed to get a pet. The short lecture had left him feeling unexpectedly ashamed, even though he hadn't known what plebeians meant at the time. Uther had repeated that statement an infinite amount of times as Arthur grew up, and it seemed exactly what he would have said now. _You must always speak like a well-educated and articulate man._ Arthur snorted to himself, earning an odd look from Merlin. _Articulate my ass, _he thought.

Merlin brought another one of those paper cups that he had decorated. This time, the design was done in green, a simple leaf covering one side of the cup. Arthur traced his fingers around the veins of the leaf, feeling the warmth of its tissue against his cold fingers.

Merlin came and poured a brown liquid into the cup, and Arthur wrapped his fingers around it quickly, absorbing the warmth and closing his eyes comfortably. Gaius got up, took his sketchbook with him, and went into the back room, Merlin replacing him on the chair in front of Arthur. They sat quietly for a little, Arthur feeling the warmth of the tea seep through the paper cup and into his hands.

"You should talk to someone about what happened," said Merlin, quite suddenly.

"Uh, what?"

"That thing that happened to you? You should talk to someone about it." Arthur scowled.

"Nothing happened to me," he protested.

"Look, Arthur, was it? I'm not stupid. When someone purposely comes to a shop like this and stares at the table like it offers the secrets of the universe, something is bothering them. It's not healthy to let things like this fester in your head. You should talk to someone. It doesn't have to be me, but, you know. For the sake of whatever sanity you actually have." Arthur took a sip from the tea and leaned back against his chair, looking at Merlin contemplatively.

"My father died," he said, and waited for Merlin's reaction.

"What was he like?"

"Are you stupid? I don't want to talk about this!"

"Yes, you do. You didn't have to say anything but you did. You want to talk about this. Plus, I watched my father die too, so I know how it feels," said Merlin quietly. Arthur paused for a beat, and then looked down.

"He was awful. Shitty, god-awful, terrible father. He never had time for me, only for Cam. Because Cam needed more taking care of than a little baby. I was raised by a whole bunch of nannies that would be fired faster than they were hired. Nothing was ever good enough for him. Not the nannies, not the house, not me. It was always Cam. She was the best thing in his life.

"Despite that, whenever I would get recognition for something I did, it always felt so good. To finally have his attention for a fraction of a second always made me proud enough that I could feel it in my chest. Whenever he asked for my help with Cam, doing something he didn't want to do, I felt happy knowing there were things I could do that didn't completely disappoint him.

"I don't think he really hated me. It was more like indifference. I was only useful because I would take care of Cam after he died. And now he is dead and I – I wasn't even there to say goodbye. I just let the cancer eat at him, never went to visit, had no idea what was going on. The last thing I could have ever done for him, I didn't do. I failed him. Again. And this time, he can't even yell at me for it." Merlin got up and brought over a tissue box, and pointed at the cup.

"Drink," he said. "Against the cold, and the sorrow." Arthur smiled a little at the Pirates of the Caribbean reference, and did as he was told. "As for it being the last thing you'll ever do for him, that's not true. The last thing you'll do for him will be taking care of Cam, right?" Arthur nodded, and Merlin smiled gently. "Good. See? Now wipe your face, tears make you look even uglier."

Arthur wiped at his eyes and shook himself. He took a deep breath and fixed Merlin with a glare.

"This didn't happen. I wasn't here, and I didn't speak to you. I am Arthur Pendragon. I don't do tears and confessions."

"Of course, your majesty. Now drink the damn tea. I'm gonna have to defrost you next time you come in. What is it with you and not wearing jackets? It's the middle of fucking January. Really, just cause your body fat keeps you from getting cold means that it's healthy to go out naked in the winter." Arthur gaped.

"I am _not _fat!" Merlin grinned.

"Whatever lets you sleep at night, sire." Arthur hid his smile behind his paper cup.


	3. Un Dessin Incomplet

Hi! Shooting Blindly here, again. I have a couple things to cover. 1. I should have mentioned before, but i do not own Merlin or any of the characters from the show. I am not profiting from this venture in any way, save that it makes me happy. 2. Thank you so much to those of you who have followed or favourited (i dont think thats a word) my story. Infinite thanks to my two lovely reviewers. 3. In case you havent noticed, this story has a pretty slow build up. if you're here for the action, as opposed to just for a good story, you're in the wrong place. 4. Your reviews give me sustenance! all reviews appreciated, and i will do my best to do my best. Enjoy!

Chapter Three: Un Dessin Incomplet

Arthur spent the rest of the evening at the little shop with Merlin, Gaius lumbering out of the back room occasionally to gather some herbs and then go back.

"What does he even do back there?" asked Arthur. Merlin scrunched up his face in thought.

"To be honest, I would say that the old man does nothing, if not for the fact that every day, I'm left to clean up a mess he somehow made," Merlin jokes. "But I think he's just trying out new combinations of herbs to make teas with different properties and purposes. Maybe sketching his findings into his book."

"Is that what he was drawing?" Merlin nodded.

"Yeah. He has one page for every combination of tea leaves he's ever tried. The front for detailed illustrations and labels of the plants he used, and the back for a description of the results. He's got like ten sketch books of this stuff. It's kind of amazing."

"Is that why you draw plants and stuff, too? He taught you?" Arthur asked.

"Not exactly. He tried to, but really, I failed miserably. I'm horrendous at documenting what kinds of herbs make what, and what their properties are. That being said, I'm pretty good at drawing them, and using them properly when I already know what they're for," Merlin explained.

"Pretty good? If you draw all of them like you drew on those tea cups, then you draw them fucking amazingly. Idiot," added Arthur, feeling awkward complimenting Merlin. Merlin just smiled a bit and took a sip of his tea, looking at Arthur smugly over the cup's rim. "Shut up."

"I haven't said anything," Merlin protested innocently. Arthur glared.

"Shut up."

When Arthur got back to his room, he threw his hat and scarf onto the floor, the new bag of tea he had gotten from the shop joining his textbooks on his desk. Letting himself fall back onto his bed and wincing at the sound of it, he glanced at the clock. Nine forty nine. Nine forty nine and he didn't feel sleep coming on. Not the slightest bit of fatigue or drowsiness.

Arthur sighed and turned over, staring at the white wall. He was already so bored.

_Intelligent people don't get bored, Arthur,_ his father used to say. Arthur never bothered to tell him that intelligent people probably get bored more often, _because_ of their intelligence. Nonetheless, heading his dead father's advice, Arthur sat up and cast about the room for something to do. Seeing nothing, he simply shrugged and set to doing push ups, hoping that the exercise would tire him out.

An hour later found a sweaty Arthur, tired but not sleepy, from push ups and all manner of core exercises. He glared at his clock, cursing the slow progression of time it displayed. Running his hand through his hair, he wrinkled his nose in disgust and decided a shower was in his best interest.

Standing under the warm water left Arthur feeling uncomfortably warm, so he showered quickly and went back to his room. He rubbed at his hair fiercely with a towel and pulled on a pair of pyjama pants. And again, he assumed his prior position: staring at the wall and wracking his brains for something useful to do.

_Whenever you have free time, you must fill it with things that will better you as a person, and distinguish you from others. Anything done simply for pleasure is a waste of time._

Arthur scowled at the memory of his father's voice, and sat up again, staring at his desk. His eyes landed on some of his exam notes, with pens and pencils strewn about them. _Maybe…_

Arthur got up and sat at his desk, pulling out a fresh piece of paper. He frowned at the lines on it, and decided he would have to get proper paper for what he was about to do. He grabbed the nearest mechanical pencil and set to drawing.

He tried to draw the leaf that Merlin had drawn on the paper cup. He struggled to draw the correct outline, and kept on erasing and redrawing, feeling displeased with his work. By the time he settled with the contour of the leaf, the page was smudged and thin from all the erasing, and he had already gone through several of pieces of lead from all the times the tip of his pencil broke. Checking the clock, he saw that forty minutes had passed. Turning back to his paper, he focused on drawing the veins of the leaf.

These were harder, and when he drew them the first time, he couldn't help but be slightly repulsed by his work. All of the veins were too thick and dark, nothing like the delicate strands that Merlin had drawn for him. Frustrated, he crumpled his page and took a fresh one. He redrew the contour of the leaf, and it took him less tries this time, the paper more white than grey with half erased covering it. He tried to draw the veins again, turning the pencil so the sharp part was carefully and lightly tracing patterns onto the page.

Arthur sat back and looked at his work. It didn't look that bad. The amount of times he had erased stuff made it look like there was some kind of shading on the leaf, making it almost pretty if you squinted. The outline he had spent so long drawing and erasing and redrawing was perfect, and he was irrationally proud of himself for this simple accomplishment. The veins looked thin and delicate, but the amount of frustration he'd felt while drawing them was obvious from the eraser smudges all around them. He liked it.

But as he stared more and more, he couldn't help but feel like something was… off. He picked up the paper and turned it in every direction, held it up against the lamp on his desk, and rubbed his eyes in case he wasn't seeing it right. No matter what he did, he couldn't see what was wrong.

Mad that something he was once proud of had almost immediately become the source of frustration, he threw the paper onto the desk and looked at the clock again. It was twelve eleven a.m., and Arthur still wasn't tired. Nonetheless, he laid down in his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Another three hours and repeated attempts at progressive muscle relaxation later, and Arthur was sound asleep.

At six in the morning, the door slammed, jolting Arthur from his sleep; his flatmate had made no effort to hide the fact that he was leaving for the day. Arthur knew than any attempts to go back to sleep would be futile: once he was up, he was up.

Arthur rolled out of bed and decided that he would actually apply himself and do something useful today: studying. He felt more than prepared for all of his exams, but it couldn't hurt.

Still in his pajamas, he brushed his teeth and sat at his desk. The leaf he had drawn yesterday lay on his desk, and he smiled at it a little bit before being struck by the same feeling as last night: something about it was wrong. He flipped the drawing over and pulled out his business notes.

At around noon, Arthur rubbed his eyes and decided it was time for a well-deserved break. He dressed for the cold (of course, forgoing the jacket), tucked his drawing into his pocket, and went outside. He was going to the tea shop, the place he had begun to see as his own private sanctuary.

He walked into the store confidently.

"Morning Merlin! What kind of te – oh. You're not Merlin." Arthur looked at the man behind the counter. While he looked remarkably similar to Merlin – same scruffy hair, same blue eyes, same high cheekbones – he definitely was not Merlin. The young man regarded Arthur with a cool gaze.

"Merlin is my cousin," he said simply. "And it's not the morning anymore." Arthur scowled.

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine." There was a crash from somewhere in the back room, and Merlin came out, paint smudging his face and his half-apron.

"Mordred, I told you not sass the customers." Merlin looked at Arthur and grinned. "Unless it's this one. He's ok to be a smart-ass with." Arthur glared at him, but said nothing. Mordred smirked a bit, but other than that, his face remained devoid of emotion.

"Shut up," Arthur told Merlin. Merlin rolled his eyes and made his way around the countertop.

"So are you here for some more tea?" he asked. Arthur nodded.

"I just finished studying and I thought I deserved a break. So maybe some tea, or something." Merlin grinned.

"Alright. You wanna try the new tea that Gaius just came up with?" Arthur shrugged.

"Yeah, alright."

"Excellent." Merlin disappeared into the back room and came out with Gaius's sketchbook and a pair of glasses sitting on his nose. Arthur gaped.

"You wear glasses?!"

"No, Arthur. You're hallucinating."

"Shut up. Idiot," Arthur added for good measure. Merlin grinned and turned to the book, adding pinches of the required herbs into his mortar without looking at them. "How do you even know you're adding the right thing? You're not even looking. You can't even find your own backside, let alone the right herbs without looking." Mordred snickered at Arthur's comment, and Merlin glared at him, an expression which looked positively ridiculous on him, and both of the boys erupted into laughter.

"Mordred! I would expect this kind of ridiculous behavior from this cabbage head, but not from you!" Arthur abruptly stopped laughing.

"Cabbage head?" he demanded, ripping his hands out of his pockets and gesturing wildly at Merlin. "At least my ears aren't comparable to those of a donkey!"

"Please. Elephants wish they had my ears. You're just jealous of these beauties," Merlin boasted with a proud smile. Arthur snorted at him, and Mordred continued to laugh. "Besides, if anyone's a donkey here, it's you, you ass." And then all of them were laughing. Gaius lumbered out of the back room and took in the scene with wide eyes, his eyebrow rising to incredible heights. Shaking his head and muttering to himself about the "young'uns", he lumbered back, and the boys sobered.

"But really, between Merlin's ears and your personality, you two would make a fine mule," Mordred commented. Arthur chose not to dignify that comment with a reply.

"What's a kid like you doing here?" Arthur asked him.

"Well, it's not like this is a club or something. I don't need to be a certain age to get in," Mordred huffed. "Besides, I work here."

"I didn't mean_ here, _here. I meant at the university, here," Arthur explained. Mordred blushed and looked away.

"My baby cousin is a bit of a child prodigy. Graduated at seventeen, got a full ride to Albion." Merlin smiled proudly at him. "It's his second year here, studying life sciences." Suddenly, Arthur felt incredibly stupid in Mordred's presence. _There are some really intelligent people in this world, huh,_ thought Arthur.

"So he's in the same year as we are, but still so much younger?"

"I am not _so_ much younger than you. It's just a year, you arrogant prick," Mordred pouted.

"I see you've been teaching your baby cousin how to insult people," Arthur said, looking at Merlin. He glanced back at Mordred. "It's not working." Merlin sputtered in outrage.

Fifteen minutes later, they were all sitting at the little round table, and Merlin was scribbling on a paper cup for Arthur, and Arthur was trying to contain the childish excitement he felt towards getting to see another beautiful piece of art by Merlin. When Merlin handed Arthur the cup, he was surprised to see that it was almost exactly like the leaf he had attempted to draw the night before, only it was perfect.

Merlin came back and poured some greenish-blue tea for Arthur.

"How did you-?" Arthur began. Merlin held a folded sheet of paper between two fingers.

"I figured I would show you how it's done. Good try though, for an amateur," Merlin said with a wink. Arthur searched his pockets and realized that his drawing was gone.

"When did you get that?!"

"While you were busy insulting my ears," Merlin began nonchalantly, "you failed to realize that a certain piece of paper fell out of your pockets. People who insult the ears deserve to have things fall out of their pockets," Merlin said matter-of-factly.

"Guess it would be better for everyone to just stop putting things in their pockets, then," Arthur huffed. Merlin ignored him and sat down beside him, unfolding the paper.

"Actually, your skill is quite impressive, considering you've never drawn before. The –"

"I have drawn before."

"What?"

"I have drawn before. My father didn't approve of it. Said it was a waste of time, and that it didn't better me as an individual. Anything done simply for pleasure was a waste of time," he sighed. Merlin blinked.

"Why don't you seem sad about losing your father?" asked Mordred.

"Mordred!" Merlin gasped, as if in shock that his baby cousin could be so tactless.

"No, it's ok," Arthur said dismissively. Merlin said nothing, but disapproval was etched onto his face. Arthur squared his shoulders towards Mordred. "Because he's not really gone. I'm not gonna hit you with all the 'he lives on in my heart' kind of shit, but honestly, I never got to see him. He never had time to see me. Now, the only difference is that he can't see me. I can still hear his voice, giving me all sorts of annoying, un-father like advice all the time, like 'emotions like grief are useless if you can't turn them into something profitable'. So, yeah." Arthur shrugged. "I'm sad. My father is dead. But it's not the end of my life. Not much has changed." Arthur held Mordred's gaze.

"Oh," he whispered. Mordred cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I'm just gonna… I'm gonna go, now. Sorry." And with that, he disappeared into the back room. Merlin shifted in his seat.

"Arthur…"

"_What_, Merlin?" Merlin paused, and his contemplative frown shifted into a playful smirk, and he took a pencil out of his apron, twirling it in his hand.

"So, let me show you how to draw this right."


	4. Les Amis Étranges

Shooting Blindly here. Well, its a little shorter, but enjoy this one. I apologize for any issues. english is technically my second laguage. Please leave me comments. it doesnt take long for you, and it makes my day a little brighter. Pretty please? Enoy!

Chapter Four: Les Amis Étranges

Exams passed, and now Arthur was on break. Much of the time before exams had passed in the same manner: Arthur would study most of the morning, and then head down to the tea shop. Mordred would be there in the afternoon, but at around three, he would leave to go study. He had a scholarship to keep up with, and couldn't afford to spend his afternoons before exams making tea and chatting with his upperclassmen. After that, Merlin and Arthur would be left to their tea, and the occasional drawing lesson. Arthur got frustrated with Merlin every time, though, so the lessons were neither long nor extremely successful.

Now that exams were over, Arthur felt like he had too much spare time, and he didn't know what to do with it. Spending all his time at the tea shop seemed like a ludicrous waste of time, and working on his drawing skills was something he could only do for so long. Eventually he lost patience with himself and threw things at walls to alleviate his boredom and frustration.

_What did I even do before exams,_ he asked himself. Before he could think up a list of answers, the phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Arthur! It's Leon." Arthur straightened immediately. "How have you been?"

"Leon, is this a business call, or a personal call? We really shouldn't mix the two."

A pause on the other end of the line. "…it's a personal call," Leon finally decided.

"Well then I'm shitty," he replied. Leon gave a short bark of laughter.

"Yeah, losing your father is never easy," Leon sympathized.

"What? No, that's not it. I have too much time, and I don't know what to do with it," Arthur complained. "I can't spend my whole day at the tea shop I found and exchange pleasantries with Merlin. He's got an actual job to do, I can't bother him."

"Is that where you've been for the past week or so?"

"Yeah."

"Then why can't you go? If you've been there for a while now, and you haven't been kicked out for staying too long, then you might as well go. Apparently you're quite welcome there." Arthur considered.

"You're right, Leon. Besides, it's not like Merlin does his job, even when I'm not there. Good talk." And he hung up the phone before Leon could get a chance to protest.

Throwing on a hat and a scarf, Arthur headed out to the tea shop.

"Merlin! What kind of tea do you have for me to try today?" Arthur asked. He had been sampling Gaius's teas and deciding which ones were unfit to be sold to the public on account of horrendous flavor, despite the numerous health benefits that Gaius boasted they possessed.

Merlin grinned up at Arthur from the counter.

"Actually, not today. Figured we'd take a break with the tea today." Arthur gasped and put his hand to his chest.

"What? How could you?" Arthur gasped. Then he took in Merlin's appearance. "And what the fuck are you wearing? Is that a pink shirt? Could you possibly be more of a girl?" Merlin scoffed in outrage and puffed out his chest.

"I'll have you know that salmon is the manliest colour I know." Arthur snorted.

"Yes, along with fuchsia and lilac."

"Wonderful colours," Merlin said, nodding his approval in mock seriousness. Arthur shoved Merlin's head to the side, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"So what do we do today, if not drink tea? I'm giving you a fair warning, I will not do an all-day drawing lesson." Merlin grinned, and took a bow.

"Permission to surprise you, my liege?" Arthur considered for a moment.

"Permission granted," he replied. Merlin jumped up and grabbed Arthur's scarf, wrapping it around his neck and then pulling him along by the ends. "Merlin, wait! You're going to choke me!" Merlin glanced backwards.

"Big, strong guy like you? Really, Arthur, at least put some effort into it if you're going to lie to me," Merlin smirked, loosening his grip despite what he said.

Merlin led them to one of the dorm buildings, presumably the one he lives in, and Arthur raised an eyebrow. Merlin ran them up the stairs, all six floors (although really, Arthur wouldn't have minded taking the elevator) and finally arrived at the door of Merlin's room. Hopefully.

"Ok, my roommate is in, and he's a little… well, he's special."

"There are seven billion people in this world, and he dares to call himself special? Who is he, my clone? I'm the only special one, _Merlin_," joked Arthur. Merlin grinned.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," he sang, and he pushed open the door. "Afternoon, Gawain!" Gawain looked up from his papers and smiled at Merlin.

"Merlin!" He got up from his desk and made his way towards them. "Good to see you!" He grabbed Merlin's face and gave him a quick kiss, right on the mouth.

_I didn't know Merlin was gay, _Arthur thought to himself, _let alone has a boyfriend._

"Gawain, this is Arthur. Arthur, Gawain," Merlin introduced them. Arthur nodded, sticking his hand out.

"Nice to m – oomph." Gawain had pushed Arthur's hand out of the way and kissed him like he'd kissed Merlin. Arthur's eyes went wide and Merlin burst out laughing. Arthur looked at Merlin, feeling slightly panicked.

"Merlin! How can you live with this? Your boyfriend going around kissing people?" At this, Merlin just laughed harder.

"Oh, Arthur, the look on your face!" he gasped, clutching at his stomach and wiping away tears. Gawain laughed with him too, and Arthur felt more and more confused. "Oh, no, Arthur stop it, stop making that face, it's killing me!" Merlin collapsed onto his bed. Arthur glared at the pair of them, and they eventually sobered. "Oh, that's disgusting. No, he's not my boyfriend. He actually has a girlfriend, and she's quite lovely. That's just how he greets close friends," he peered at Arthur. "Or the close friends of close friends." Arthur glared at Gawain.

"If I was a homophobe, I might have killed you for that."

"But you're not," Gawain said lightly, sprawling onto his bed, hands tucked behind his head.

"But I could have been."

"But you're not."

"Well, you never know!" Arthur sighed, exasperated. Gawain propped himself up on his elbows.

"But I do know. You weren't fazed at all when I kissed Merlin hello. If you were a homophobe, you would have either squirmed, or had a fit of rage. And you did neither. Ergo, non-homophobe." Arthur rolled his eyes at the logic. Something brushed against his leg.

Looking down, he saw it was a small white kitten with blue eyes. Merlin smiled apologetically and picked it up, giving it a gentle nudge in the other direction.

"No, Aithusa. Stay away from the guests. Go play with Kilgharrah," he said gently. Aithusa meowed at him, and then made her way to an older looking cat. He eyed her, and she batted at his nose. Kilgharrah took this treatment with good grade, although his tail twitched and swished in annoyance. Aithusa began to play with that too, and Merlin watched the scene quietly, a fond look in his eye.

"Aren't you not supposed to have pets in the dorms?" asked Arthur. Merlin nodded.

"Yeah, technically. But we asked all the kids on this floor. No one is allergic and no one is going to snitch, so for now, we keep them here."

"Alright. But I have to ask. Where the fuck did you get those names? Game of Thrones, or something? They're so weird…" Merlin scoffed.

"Really, Arthur, I thought you knew me better than that. Obviously me and Gawain took turns pulling letters out of a hat. Game of Thrones. Ridiculous," Merlin said.

Before Arthur could reply, there was a knock at the door and Gawain got up to answer.

"Laddie! I missed you!" and he kissed whoever was at the door in greeting. Arthur rolled his eyes. Gawain really did kiss everyone. "Lads! This is Laddie, my girlfriend."

"Unfortunate name for a girl," Arthur remarked. She smiled.

"It would be, were that actually my name. This idiot here thought I was a boy when we were kids. Laddie became his way of addressing me, and it just stuck," she said sounding annoyed. Despite her tone, she looked at Gawain fondly and laced their fingers together. She stuck out her other hand in greeting. "Larissa." Arthur shook her hand. "Hi, Merlin." Merlin waved at her with a small smile.

"Ok, so Gawain, you can go out with Laddie, and me and Arthur will watch a movie and take care of the cats," Merlin said, giving Gawain a shove through the door. Gawain smiled widely at him.

"Got it, mate," he said, tapping the side of his nose with a wink.

"Gawain! Leave them alone," Larissa scolded. "Have a good time, Merlin," she said with a giggle and a wink of her own, sashaying out of the room with Gawain in tow. Merlin blushed, mortified, and quickly shut the door behind them, leaning against it as if to prevent them coming back.

"So…" he began.

"So…" Arthur echoed. Merlin grinned.

"Pick a cat to cuddle with and a movie to watch."


	5. Des Films Et Un Baiser

Yes, i realize that its been a while. Im so sorry! im busy with all kinds of stuff, and im getting ready for national novel writing month which is coming up in november. Please forgive me for this sub-par, short chapter. As usual, i receive sustenance from your comments, and really, the lack of them is disparaging and upsetting. Pretty please let me know how im doing. Other than that, enjoy!

Chapter Five:

They watched a marathon of Harry Potter that evening, adding in their own commentary and laughing enough throughout that, if they hadn't seen the movies before, they would not be able to say what they were about.

Time passed quickly, and before Arthur new it, the sky had darkened and it was time to go home.

"Where's Gawain? Shouldn't he be home by now?" asked Arthur.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's either plastered somewhere in a bar, or spending the night at Laddie's. Either way, he won't be back for a while," Merlin said dismissively. Arthur raised an eyebrow. "No, don't do that," Merlin said, shoving his hand into Arthur's face. "You look like Gaius."

"I do not!" Arthur sputtered, shoving Merlin's hand away. "And don't touch my face."

"Apologies, princess. Wouldn't want to induce blemishes on your fair skin," Merlin teased, eyes twinkling.

"No indeed," Arthur huffed. "Obviously, you're just not aware that it's not easy looking this good. You couldn't look good if you tried."

"Oh, please, Arthur. I'm so attractive you can't handle me," Merlin scoffed. "Probably just jealous of my devilish good looks."

"Yes, Merlin. That's exactly it." Merlin grinned in return, and stretched his arms over his head.

"You gonna head out now?" he asked.

"I guess so. It's late, and I have to…" Arthur let the sentence trail off, and he frowned. _What do I have to do, anyways,_ he asked himself. Merlin grinned wolfishly.

"Looks like you have nothing to do. All that free time after exams confusing you?" he teased. Arthur glared. "Alright, alright, keep your trousers on. Sit, I'll make you some tea." Arthur felt himself salivating, and he nodded and sat down.

Merlin walked into the small kitchenette and set the tea to boil.

"What shall I serve you with today, highness? Chamomile ok for someone of your stature?" Merlin called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"So where're you staying here?" asked Merlin.

"Oh, um," Arthur hesitated. "I'm staying at the Castle." Something fell and shattered in the kitchen and Merlin swore.

"Oh, fuck, ow that hurts. Goddammit that was my favorite tea cup. Shit." Arthur had jumped up at the crash, and now he made his way to Merlin, to find him looking between the bleeding gash on his hand and the shattered tea cup. Merlin shoved Arthur with his good hand. "The Castle? What the fuck? How rich could you possibly be, Pendragon, to be rooming in the Castle? Shit," Merlin sucked on his bleeding palm, Arthur's eyes fixed on the action, and feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

"It's not that I'm rich, although that does help. It's who my father is. Was," he corrected himself quickly. "It tends to get people to treat you a certain way. Everybody wants to impress the Pendragons." Arthur shrugged. "I'm used to it by now."

Merlin cuffed him upside the head. "Now that you know me, you better get unused to it, cause I don't give a shit who you are. You will work to earn my respect, or you won't get it. Period." Merlin paused. "Mordred rooms in the Castle."

"Mordred?" Arthur asked, surprised. Merlin nodded.

"Yeah, he's a scholarship kid, but his parents are massively rich. They have a foot in a whole bunch of companies, and they made some mad cash through investments. They told Mordred that he had to earn his way through life, though. He gets treated to fancy dinners once in a while when people want to see the youngest Druid, but other than that, he has a job in the shop and he lives on that and Gaius's help. Like you said, the university wants Mordred to have a good experience here, maybe impress his parents and get something in return."

"Whoa. Your cousin is a Druid?" Arthur had heard of the Druids. They were a powerful family in the world of business.

"Yeah. They don't like to talk about him too much, but he is usually there for those fancy dinners you business people attend purely to act like you're as posh as you think you are," Merlin scoffed.

"Oh, Merlin. Just because you've never been invited to the cool kids club doesn't mean that you need to be bitter about it," Arthur said with a wink. Merlin rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom, returning with a piece of gauze wrapped around his hand. Overcome by a sudden urge, Arthur spoke. "Come on, I'll take you out for dinner." Merlin gasped, his hand flying to his chest.

"Why, your highness. Are you asking me on a date?" he asked in mock surprise. Arthur rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to smile.

"Come on you idiot."

"Dollophead."

"That's a new one."

"I have a list. You should be prepared for the worst," Merlin joked.

"Alright, Merlin. What do you want to eat?" Merlin shrugged.

"I dunno. Whatever's fine, just nothing too expensive. I can't afford too much," he said.

"Pizza it is. And you're not paying," Arthur said, with a glare that shut Merlin up right away.

They wound up at a Pizza Hut, munching on a deliciously greasy deep dish pizza.

"How the hell do you not eat meat? I don't even know how you can survive," Arthur was telling Merlin. He shrugged.

"I dunno, I just… I just don't like it much. Never did. Besides, you'd be surprised at all the amazing things you can make without meat," he explained. Arthur shook his head in disgust.

"No, I'd never survive a day," Arthur said. Merlin scowled.

"Well, yeah, you're like three times my size, fatso. Of course you would eat a shitload of meat."

"I am not fat!" Arthur protested. Merlin laughed, choking on his drink a bit.

"No, but seriously. You're an athlete, and a big guy. You need lots of protein, and you probably wouldn't get enough on a no-meat diet," Merlin said, matter-of-factly.

"Lucky that I love meat, then."

"Yeah. Just watch how much you eat. You're a little on the heavy side." Arthur threw a plastic fork at him, and Merlin chortled at him.

"Oh, shut up. I will make you pay for dinner," Arthur said, pointing at him accusingly. Merlin eyed the pizza.

"I probably could afford it, but you can consider this the last time I go anywhere with you. And no more tea," he said slyly.

"Ok, no forget that. I'll pay, I'll pay." Merlin grinned.

"Thanks, Arthur," he said with false sweetness. They finished eating, and, true to his word, Arthur paid the bill.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home," Arthur offered. Merlin sidled out of his chair.

"Oh, a proper gentleman, are you?" he said with a wink. Arthur rolled his eyes and left the shop, Merlin trailing behind him.

The air outside was still cold, but they could feel spring slowly eradicating the winter.

"It's getting warm," Arthur said with a deep breath. He let it out and his breath formed a cloud above their heads. "I can go back to wearing summer clothes."

"God, if you wear t-shirts in the winter, what do you wear in the summer?" Merlin asked. "Do I even want to know?" Arthur grinned at him rakishly.

"Of course you wanna know."

"Judging by that look, no, I really don't."

Arthur drove them back to Merlin's dorm and walked him to the door.

"So, Merlin, you gonna give me a goodnight kiss from Gawain?" he asked. Merlin smiled and leaned in, more touching his lips to Arthur's than actually kissing him, and then stepped back.

"That's from Gawain," he whispered. "Goodnight, Arthur." And the door closed behind him. Arthur stood there for a minute. _Was this a date?_ He shook his head, and walked away, unable to wipe the goofy smile off his face. _I hope it was._


	6. Une Nuit Parfaite

Hello! Shooting Blindly here. I have three people who have reviewed my story, and i love you all to pieces, thank you so much! It really means a lot to me. For you, and everybody else, i cannot stress enough how happy they make me. keep em coming! Sorry again for the late update. Im trying to do NaNoWriMo (which i encourage for everyone who enjoys writing), but my story is frustrating me, so im back here. Not my best work, but its a bit longer than last time, so enjoy!

Chapter Six:

The next week, classes resumed, so Arthur was plenty busy. All of the teachers were already assigning tons of work, and Arthur had never been one to skimp on homework, and he wasn't about to start now, when learning actually mattered.

Despite this, Arthur was determined to find time every day to go see Merlin. Things between the two of them hadn't changed at all: it wasn't awkward, there wasn't any flirting, and above all, there was absolutely no mention of Merlin's goodnight kiss. And Arthur felt cheated.

_Today,_ he thought. _Today I'm going to ask him. _He took a deep breath and walked into the shop.

"Merlin!" Arthur looked towards the countertop, where Merlin had frozen while cleaning the countertop.

"Yes, Arthur? What do you want today?" he asked casually, returning to his scrubbing. _I want to take you to a fancy restaurant and impress you with my inheritance and then eventually get into your pants,_ he thought.

"I want to take you on a date," he said instead, hoping it was more appropriate. Merlin froze again.

"Um… what?" he asked, seeming confused.

"I want to take you," he said slowly. "On a proper date." The rag fell from Merlin's grasp, and he blushed scarlet to the tips of his ears.

"Oh," he whispered. He cleared his throat. "Um, ok."

"Ok?" Arthur echoed, delightedly. Merlin nodded. Arthur felt himself grinning like a moron, and he rushed to the counter and gathered Merlin into his arms, laughing excitedly. "Awesome! I'll pick you up from your dorm at six." He kissed Merlin on the cheek, and practically danced out of the store in glee, leaving a very confused Merlin standing at the counter, hand still raised from where he had dropped the cloth.

Several hours later, Arthur was standing in the middle of his room, clothes strewn about everywhere, growling in frustration. He'd texted Lance over an hour ago saying URGENT and he expected him to be there any minute, unless he was making out with Gwen.

He'd called the maître d' of Avalon to make a reservation, and, as a Pendragon, he got the best seats in the house. His car had gas in it and was all shined up, and he was so ready to just go on this date already.

But he had no idea what to wear. He threw a shoe at the door, and just as it was hitting the floor, Lance ran in.

"Are you ok, is the house on fire, did you fail a test, _are you dead?!_" Lance yelled. He stopped when he saw Arthur seated in the middle of the room in a pile of clothes.

"I have a date. And I don't know what to wear," he said desperately. Lance nodded sagely and sat down in front of him.

"So who's the lucky girl?"

"Not a girl."

"Well then who's the lucky bloke?" he asked without a second's hesitation. Arthur had never advertised his sexuality, but he'd never had a problem with it. When it came to sex, he believed that everyone deserved a fair chance.

"Merlin. Works in a tea shop on the edge of campus. Know him?"

"Merlin Emrys? Oh, sure, I grew up with him! Used to be my best friend. Haven't heard from him in a while, though," Lance trailed off. He shook his head. "So you're going with Merlin, then. At least I know him."

He got up and started picking up clothes, considering them, and then throwing them away. Arthur began to wonder what was wrong with all of his clothes that Lance didn't approve of them.

He ended up choosing a black button-down collared shirt with dark blue, form-fitting jeans.

"You look very nice," Lance said encouragingly. "Now go. Impress Merlin and get into his pants or whatever it is you want. But hurt him, and I'll repay the damage seven fold. Have fun on your date!" Lance finished. Before Arthur even had time to be embarrassed, Lance put Arthur's phone in his hand and shoved him out the door.

Arthur walked down to his car and got in, shivering from the cold because, in true Arthurian fashion, he'd forgotten to bring a jacket.

He drove to Merlin's flat, all the while trying to ease his mind and sedate the butterflies in his stomach. _This is going to go great. You're going to be fine. He's going to love you. What's not to love?_ Arthur shifted in his seat proudly at that thought. There really wasn't anything not to love.

Arthur knocked on the door of Merlin's dorm, and waited for an answer. When none came, he tried to door to find it unlocked, and he walked in. On one side of the room, Laddie was on top of Gawain, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves by sucking the other's face off. The other side of the room was in total disrepair, clothes strewn everywhere, and a disgruntled and very, _very _shirtless Merlin. Arthur froze in the doorway.

"Gawain! Stop sucking face and help me pick out a shirt! Arthur is going to be here any second, and I need to look perfect!" Merlin whined. Gawain, without detaching himself from Laddie, waved Merlin away. Arthur cleared his throat, and Merlin started at the sound. His eyes darted to the door, and as soon as his mind processed what was happening, his face turned an impressive shade of red.

"You know, if you really wanted, you could just wear those jeans and nothing else and I wouldn't mind. But the place I'm taking you to says 'no shirt, no shoes, no service', so it would be best to put one on," he joked. Merlin grabbed the shirt closest to him (a dark blue shirt much like Arthur's), and hastily stood up. Arthur gave Merlin a once over: hair dishevelled, shirt half tucked half not, cheeks flushed.

"You look perfect," he smiled. Merlin smiled back tentatively. Laddie pushed Gawain away from her and stood up.

"Ok, Merlin, honey. I expect a full report when you get back. All the juicy details." Gawain got up and put his arm around Laddie and fixed Arthur with a glare.

"Treat him right, don't make him pay for dinner. If you hurt him, you'll wish you'd never been born," he growled. Then his face transformed into the typical Gawain happiness. "Now go have fun, boys! Merlin, text me if you're gonna stay the night at Arthur's so that your mother and I don't worry too much," he said, gesturing towards himself and Laddie.

"Please. You and Laddie are gonna be too busy to be worried about me," Merlin said, blushing with embarrassment. He pushed Arthur out the door and shut it behind them. "Sorry about them. They're… overprotective." Arthur kissed Merlin on the cheek.

"I think it's very sweet," he said with as much charm as possible. Merlin wrinkled his nose and bopped Arthur on the head.

"Stop that. I didn't say yes because I wanted you to turn noble and woo me with your charm. I said yes 'cause I wanted to enjoy time with _Arthur _Arthur. Now stop with this flirting nonsense." Arthur rubbed his head in mock hurt.

"You wound me." Merlin grinned.

"Good." They got into Arthur's car and Arthur drove them to Avalon. When they got out of the car, Merlin gaped up at the sign.

"You took me to _Avalon_? This is the most expensive place in the area!" Merlin cried, panicked.

"Yes, I know. I was cheated out of a proper first date cause I took you out for pizza last week, so I'm making up for it now. Money is not an issue. I've come into a huge sum of it recently," he finished quietly. Merlin looked at him sympathetically. Arthur shook it off and straightened his back, in an effort to appear taller than Merlin.

"Ok, let's go," he said, gently guiding Merlin into the restaurant. Merlin tried to resist, protesting that it was too lavish for him, and that he didn't need anything fancy, but Arthur put his hand on Merlin's lower back and slowly but surely got him into the restaurant. As soon as they were inside, Merlin shut up, feeling that the atmosphere inside was much too sophisticated for his protestations. The man in the front looked them up and down disapprovingly, and Merlin realised that they were both underdressed for the level of class in the restaurant.

"Table for two. Under the name _Pendragon_," Arthur said, adding emphasis to his name and glaring at the man. He immediately straightened and he smiled so widely it seemed false.

"Right this way, Mr. Pendragon." He led them to a small table with a small candle in the center. He lit the candle, gave them a small bow, and walked back to his stand. Merlin raised an eyebrow and dropped his voice an octave.

"Right this way, Mr. Pendragon," he mimicked, and then giggled. "Seems like I'm the only person your name doesn't impress." Arthur grinned.

"That sounds about right." A server came to their table and handed them menus. Arthur opened his up and started scanning it. After about a minute, Merlin spoke up.

"Um, Arthur. There aren't any prices on the menu," he said, sounding panicked once again.

"Yeah. People who come here typically don't care how much something costs. Money is no object," he said dismissively. Merlin swallowed.

"What would you say is the cheapest thing on here?" he asked in small voice. Arthur peered at him over his menu.

"Merlin. Just order what you like. It's my treat."

"No, but-"

"_Mer_lin." Merlin shut up.

Arthur got himself a prime striploin along with, as Merlin put it, "a whole bunch of frilly, rich-people extras". Merlin got himself mushroom ravioli, and stood by his choice when Arthur suggested something not as cheap.

"Money may not be an object to you, but as a peasant, I'd rather that your majesty didn't spend much on me," he said with a smirk.

Their food came and they ate. Merlin was delighted with the food, if the sounds he made were any confirmation. At the first bite, he positively squealed at the taste. Arthur found this endlessly amusing.

They had wine, along with their food. Arthur was horrified when Merlin tried to order red wine to go with his pasta, and immediately explained to him what foods red wine are appropriate with, and white wine and rosé. So, Merlin had white wine to go with his pasta, and Arthur had red wine to go with his steak.

"Here, gimme some of that," Merlin said, reaching for Arthur's glass. Arthur batted his hand away.

"No. You can have red wine if you have chocolate fudge cake for dessert. There is a proper way to eat, Merlin, and I will see you do it if I have to feed you myself," Arthur said unrelentingly. Merlin sulked, but obeyed.

Arthur set down his fork and knife, and drained the last mouthful of wine in his glass. "Dessert?" he asked Merlin. Merlin nodded eagerly, and Arthur gestured to a server walking past.

"Yes, Mr. Pendragon. How may I be of service?"

"Merlin here would like to order dessert," he said coolly. Merlin looked at him, alarmed.

"Are you not having any? Oh, no, Arthur if you're not having it, then you don't have to go out of your way to -"

"_Mer_lin. Shut up." The server looked on with a carefully controlled expression. "He'll have the chocolate fudge cake, along with a glass of red wine."

"Yes, sir," the server said. He collected their dessert menus, gave a small bow, and was off to deliver the order to the chef. Merlin scowled at Arthur.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. I don't _need_ dessert. Especially if it's an inconvenience to you."

"Merlin, this is our first proper date, since I was cheated out of our _first _first date. I'm doing this the only way I know how, alright? I think you can let yourself be spoiled once in a while. It's healthy." _I want to show you a good time,_ Arthur thought to himself. Merlin bit his lip guiltily.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble, you know. A movie and take-away would have been fine," he said. Arthur grinned triumphantly: he was wearing him down.

"I think not. Take away is hardly appropriate when I could buy you any food you wanted," he said. "And besides, that cake is so rich you'll never be able to finish it by yourself. I'll end up eating most of it."

"Is that so? Well, we'll see about that," Merlin grinned cheekily.

The cake disappeared almost as fast as it arrived. It turned out that Merlin had a massive sweet tooth, and, as a result, Arthur didn't get a single bite. The colour of the wine seemed to dye Merlin's cheeks, and he had a pleasant shimmer in his eyes.

At the end of the evening, Arthur drove Merlin home. The dorm was empty, which was somewhat a relief to Arthur; he'd been expecting Gawain and Laddie to be standing at the door ready to attack him for perceived mistreatment of Merlin.

Merlin grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled Arthur in for a kiss. He could taste the chocolate cake on Merlin, and feel the aroma of that last glass of wine.

Merlin broke away first. Arthur wanted to chase his lips, but he maintained his control, however little there was.

"I had a great night," Merlin said honestly, hands still fisted in Arthur's collar.

"That was the point," Arthur said. Merlin grinned at him.

"Will I see you at the tea shop tomorrow?"

"Well, I suppose I could make time for some tea. Or, I could spend the night and you won't have to miss me," Arthur said, leaning in again. Merlin chuckled and danced out of Arthur's grip, pushing him gently towards the door.

"You wish. Goodnight, Arthur," said Merlin, shutting the door. Arthur grinned at the wood, feeling light and airy.

"Goodnight, Merlin."

~~0~~

Well? Once again, please review! Your reviews motivate me!


	7. Une Réunion Familiale

Hey guys! Shooting Blindly here. Yes, i know, i know, its been a long time. Im sorry! I hope this chapter makes up for it. Ive been told that my chapters could stand to be a bit longer, but i honestly dont know how much more i can writer per chapter, cause its exhausting. Particularly when you do all your writing in one day.

Anyways, thanks so much to all of my readers and reviewers, especially to Jayfire, who left me the two most beautiful reviews i have ever received. thank you so much! you made my day! And keep up with the reviews, everyone. the more i get, the more motivated i am to write more. and i appreciate the love, but a bit more than "awesome story" would be really nice. Thanks!

Chapter Seven: Une Réunion Familiale

"Arthur, I found Morgana," was the first thing that Arthur heard the next morning. The phone had woken him up and he'd picked up and mumbled a bleary "hello", not expecting the news. He blinked.

"Wait, say that again."

"I found Morgana. Turns out that that ten day spiritual retreat did her good, and she's been traveling around the world and trying to stay away from the most crowded places. God knows it was hell to find her, but I did it. That woman leaves a massive paper trail."

"Alright awesome. Anything else? It's…" he turned to check the clock, "eight in the morning. I was sleeping. This couldn't have waited?"

"Actually, no, it couldn't have. Morgana is currently on her way to you, and she'll be there within the hour. I thought I would give you a heads up to make yourself and your dorm presentable," Leon said. Arthur didn't catch the last bit; he was already flying around the room, desperately cleaning everything within his reach. He took a shower and changed into something he hoped Morgana would deem acceptable, and sat nervously on the couch in his living room. His fingers moved in a blur, his leg jiggled, and his eyes darted around the room.

With a great bang, Morgana shot into the room, making a beeline for Arthur.

"Oh! Darling! Are you alright? I just heard the news." Morgana gathered Arthur into her arms, and he brought his hands to rest on her back. He'd missed her more than he'd thought. "I know you had a strained relationship with that man, but surely you still miss him," she said next to Arthur's ear. His chest tightened, and he held Morgana closer to him.

"I'm alright," he managed shakily.

"Let me look at you," Morgana said, pushing his away from her and holding him at an arm's length. Her eyes traced his face, took in his posture. She nodded as if satisfied, and let go of him. "Yes, it seems you are." She breezed past him and into his bedroom. Arthur sighed and followed after her.

He found her sorting through the papers on his desk. He sat on his bed just as she pulled out a smudged and slightly crumpled piece of paper. She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't know you still drew," she commented, eyes looking over the paper to meet his.

"I don't. Didn't."

"Then what is this?" she asked, flipping the paper so he could see it. It was the leaf that he had drawn with Merlin all that time ago.

"That is a drawing. Which I did with a friend," he said. Morgana smiled, placing the paper back on his desk. She came over and sat beside him, taking his hand in hers.

"How are you, dear?"

"I'm alright. How are _you_? Did you enjoy traveling to the wilds of the world?" he asked. Morgana wrinkled her nose.

"God, no. I didn't even do that. I gave my card to Gwen, you remember Gwen, and I went back home after those ten days. She called me just the other day to say that you and Leon were looking for me," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "So naturally, I came to see you as quickly as I could. My dear brother needed me."

"Yeah, he does. I need you to take care of Cam for me."

"You want me to _what_? You realize Uther would have killed you if he knew this, right?"

"Yeah, well he isn't here right now, is he?" he snapped.

"No, I suppose he isn't."

"Right, so I'll say it again. I need you to take care of Cam for me." Morgana eyed him wearily.

"Why? Why won't you take her?"

"Because as much as I want to take care of my father's legacy, I need to finish school. If I just leave now, then no one will ever take me seriously. You know how important that is in the business world. If anyone has any doubts about your legitimacy, they'll rip you to shreds."

"Yes, that they do." She considered. "Alright. I'll take care of your precious Camelot. How long do I need to do this for?" she asked, as if it was such a burden. In reality, Morgana had thrown a fit when Uther had announced that Arthur would take over, and not his eldest child, Morgana. It had sent her into her various expeditions around the world, and Arthur and Uther rarely had the chance to see her. She wanted to prove to Uther, and perhaps even to herself, that she was worthy enough to take care of Cam. Because she'd certainly never felt like she was.

"Just until I finish school. Then you can go back to traipsing around the world," Arthur said, with a roll of his eyes.

"Excellent." Morgana stood up, her curly hair bouncing. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. I expect gifts, parties and phone calls every day for my trouble." Arthur stood and captured Morgana in a hug.

"Thanks, Morgana. I owe you."

"Yes, you certainly do," she said, patting him on the back. "Now let me go so I can do the job you've given me." Arthur grinned. Morgana was never one for expressing her true emotions, and neither was he. But the two loved each other, and as much as they detested showing it, it was obvious to anyone who cared to look close enough.

Arthur let her go and took a step back.

"I'll be expecting to hear from you tomorrow. I'll tell you how I'm getting on in my new office, and you can tell me more about school and that friend you're drawing with. Ta, Arthur." And just like that, she was gone, a cloud of sweet smelling perfume and a small indent on Arthur's bed the only sign she'd been there to begin with.

Arthur sighed, feeling relived. Morgana hadn't made any comments about the state of his room, his hair, his clothes, or his life. He'd expected her to walk in and say something like "well, your dorm certainly looks… lived in". He'd been pleasantly surprised. Maybe he should have sent her on a spiritual retreat years ago. It may have prevented many arguments.

He heard the front door open and close softly. Light footsteps made their way to the opposite end of the dorm, and another door opened and shut once again; his roommate was in.

Suddenly, Arthur was uncomfortable, not wanting to be in a house of two people and feeling alone. He got up and wrapped a scarf around his neck, making his way to the door. He shot a text to Merlin (_where are you_) and walked out of the dorm. The teashop and Merlin's dorm were in the same direction, and he figured Merlin would reply soon. His phone buzzed.

_Dorm. Gonna shower. Get Gawain to let you in._

He didn't reply, just stuck his phone back in his pocket and trudged the rest of the way to Merlin's dorm.

When he arrived, he knocked on the front door. He was met by Gawain's big smile and the sound of a shower running in the background.

"Arthur! Nice to see you again, mate!" He leaned in, but Arthur put his hand on Gawain's face and shoved him away.

"No kisses, please," he said. Gawain licked his hand, and Arthur recoiled as if he'd been poisoned. "Ew! Gross!"

"Don't touch the money maker," Gawain said, looking smug, before turning back into the room. Arthur followed him inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. "So what brings you to this side of campus?" Gawain asked. "Oh no wait, don't answer that. Merlin." Arthur nodded.

"Yeah, I just fancied a talk," he explained. Gawain got up and made his way to a small fridge.

"Well, do you fancy a beer to go with that talk?"

"Yeah, thanks." Gawain tossed Arthur a beer. Arthur caught it with one hand. Covering his hand with his shirt, he pried the cap off the beer and took a swig.

"So, how was your date yesterday?" Gawain asked. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"What, Merlin didn't give you the full report?" he asked. Gawain grinned.

"Of course he did. Laddie interrogated him with an efficiency I could only ever dream of. I was just trying to make conversation," he said, taking a gulping down some beer. Arthur mirrored him, praying the beer would give him the courage to face the inevitable treat-him-right discussion.

"It was good. Idiot doesn't know the first thing about wine, though."

"Ah, yeah, he truly is an uncultured swine when it comes to his drink. Doesn't know his Smirnoff from his Grey Goose," Gawain said, nodding sagely. "I've tried to educate him, but he's quite hopeless. Can't handle his drink at all, that boy." Arthur grinned. "Oi, that's not an invitation to get him drunk, you know!"

"I know, I know," Arthur said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "We didn't actually have any vodka last night, so I brought him home to you relatively sober."

"Yeah, he was asleep when me and Laddie got back. We kept the dorm empty for you, just in case you two were busy. Came back at one in the bloody morning. Laddie woke him up and demanded the full report. Poor sod had a class in the morning, too." Gawain winced sympathetically. "So imagine my surprise when I found that you hadn't stayed. I thought for sure you would have spent the night. If I wasn't so in love with my girlfriend, then I would have been sleeping with Merlin since the beginning of the year," he said.

"It's not that I would have minded spending the night, but Merlin didn't seem too keen on it, and I want to do this right anyways," Arthur explained.

"Ah. Good lad," Gawain said, draining the rest of his beer and reaching for another.

"Gawain, stop drinking. It's too early in the morning to be drunk." Arthur snapped around. Without his noticing, the shower had stopped running. Merlin stood behind him, dripping water onto the floor, wearing a very warm-looking, fluffy-looking bathrobe. Merlin grinned at him. "Morning. Couldn't stay away for more than a night?"

Arthur opened his mouth to say that he could, actually, stay away for as long as he wanted, and then he realized the trouble was that he didn't want to stay away, and his mouth closed with a click. Gawain snorted, rolling his eyes at Merlin.

"He's in love," he laughed, nodding towards Arthur. Arthur blushed, but didn't say anything. Merlin's smile just widened.

"Alright, now look away, you wankers, so that I can change."

"Why? Nothing we haven't seen before," Gawain said cheekily. Merlin fixed him with a glare, and the two of the quickly turned and faced the other way. There was a rustle of clothing, and the Merlin dropped down next to Arthur, hair wet, but body fully clothed, radiating heat from the shower.

"Morning," he said, bumping Arthur's shoulder with his own. Arthur smiled and returned the favour. Gawain gagged.

"You two are gross. And I think I'm entitled to another beer because of that," he said, reaching for another beer. He jumped as something yowled: while reaching for his beer, he had grabbed Aithusa's tail. Kilgharrah looked on grumpily as ever. Merlin and Arthur were in hysterics, clinging onto each other for support.

"Clearly, Aithusa doesn't want you drinking that stuff!" Arthur laughed.

"Tastes like piss anyways," Merlin said between gasps. Aithusa hissed angrily and trotted off to snuggle against the older cat, who growled in warning, but did nothing to stop her. This sent the boys into another peal of raucous laughter. Gawain just scowled.

"Oh, ha, ha. I'm glad you two find me so amusing," he said, viciously tearing the cap off of another beer. Arthur and Merlin howled with laughter.

A couple minutes later, they'd stopped laughing, but Merlin still giggled every time Gawain drank from his beer.

"So, what are we going to do today?" asked Arthur.

"Bloody hell, mate. You came to visit your boyfriend without a plan? That's just sad, that is," Gawain said, shaking his head in disapproval. Arthur drew himself up in indignation.

"It is not! I just came to talk," he said. "And now I'm bored."

"I'm sure Merlin can think of plenty of ways to keep you entertained," Gawain said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Merlin blushed.

"Shut up, Gawain," he said. Gawain just winked and took a swig of beer.

"You'll get there," he said. "You'll get there."


End file.
